Group authorization method and software

• US 9,768,969 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2012
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sgrouples, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sgrouples, Inc.
• Inventors: Weinstein, Mark, Wolfe, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zecher, Dede
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savenkov, Vadim
• Application Number:
  US13/491,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A method for sharing information limited by permission comprising a user providing content to be shared, the user specifying a plurality of individuals or Groups with which to share the content, after the providing and specifying, automatically creating a new Group comprising the specified plurality, and distributing the content to the new Group. Also a method for sharing information limited by permission comprising compiling in an online service a plurality of individual members and Groups, providing content associated with the individuals and Groups, and displaying to a user a combined content view capable of being based on any combination of one or more of certain categories of Group and user information.

Claims

1. A method of sharing information limited by permission, the method comprising the steps of:

a user providing content to be shared to a data store;

the user specifying to an online service a plurality of individuals or Groups with which to share the content;

after the providing and specifying steps, automatically creating via the online service a new Group comprising the specified plurality;

inviting the individuals or Groups to become members of the new Group;

allowing an individual with a set permission level who is not the user to invite other members to join the new Group;

allowing the individual to specify different individual permission levels for each new person that they invite;

wherein a member of the new group can purchase an add-on which can then be used by everyone in the new group;

displaying the content from the data store on demand to the online service from one of the individuals or a member of one of the Groups that has accepted membership in the new Group; and

allowing members of the new group to share group content, wherein group content can have its own permissions, including those permissions delineated by members when posting the content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user and each of the individuals and Groups are members of a same online service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user and Groups are members of a same online service but each of the individuals may or may not be.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the individuals who are not members of the online service are automatically invited by the online service to become members of the online service.

5. A tangible computer readable medium comprising computer software comprising computer readable code for sharing information limited by permission, the software comprising:

code permitting a user to provide to an online service content to be shared;

code permitting the user to specify a plurality of individuals or Groups with which to share the content;

code, after the providing and specifying code executes, automatically creating a new Group comprising the specified plurality;

code inviting the individuals or Groups to become members of the new Group;

code allowing an individual with a set permission level who is not a creator of the Group to invite other members to join the new Group;

code allowing the individual to specify different individual permission levels for each new person that they invite;

code allowing a member of the new group to purchase an add-on;

code allowing the add-on to be used by everyone in the new group;

code displaying the content from a data store on demand to the online service from one of the individuals or a member of one of the Groups that has accepted membership in the new Group; and

code allowing the specified plurality of the new Group to share group content, wherein group content can have its own permissions, including those permissions delineated by members when posting the content.

6. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the user and each of the individuals and Groups are members of a same online service.

7. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the user and Groups are members of a same online service but each of the individuals may or may not be.

8. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein the individuals not members of the online service are automatically invited by the online service to become members of the online service.

9. A method of sharing information limited by permission, the method comprising the steps of:

a first user providing first user content to be shared to a data store;

the first user specifying to an online service a first member group formed from first group members comprising a first plurality of individuals or Groups with which to share the first user content;

after the providing and specifying steps, automatically creating via the online service the first member group comprising the specified first group members;

inviting the first group members to become members of the first member group;

allowing a first group members to upload first group content to the data store;

allowing first group members to share the first group content, wherein the first group content can have its own permissions, including those permissions delineated by members when uploading the content;

a first group member specifying to the online service a second member group formed from second group members comprising a second plurality of individuals or Groups with which to share a first member content, the second group need not be members of the first member group;

the first member inviting an individual, which is not already a member of the first member group, to join the first member group;

the first user specifying access levels for each of the members of the first group and the first member specifying an access level for the invited individual; and

displaying the content from the data store on demand to the online service from one of the individuals or a member of one of the Groups that has accepted membership in the second member group.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising displaying a tag when the first user content is shared with the first member group, but not displaying the tag when the first user content is shared with a user who is not a member of the first member group.

11. The method of claim 9 permitting a member of the first member group to purchase an add-on which can then be used by all of the other members of the first member group.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the first and second plurality of individuals or Groups are members of a same online service.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the first user and Groups are members of a same online service but each of the first and second plurality of individuals may or may not be.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the individuals who are not members of the online service are automatically invited by the online service to become members of the online service.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the first member can not specify an access level for an invited individual which is greater than the access level that the first user specified for the first member.